Massage by Moe @ Whitehall Terrace

The Old Kitchen Mural: A Global History of Sacred Ruins

 

Once the heart of the Wright family’s home, this room served as their original kitchen from 1929 to 1940, later becoming a breakfast room following the home’s expansion. In 2004, it was featured in the Designer Showhouse curated by the Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties.l

 

Inspired by designer Minta Bell’s renovation, artist David Matthews created a panoramic mural that transformed the space into a quiet reverence for global civilizations. The mural weaves together sacred and historical sites—all located south of the 36th parallel, which passes through Durham—depicting ruins as they were in the act of being built, not in decay.

 

Dominating the western wall are the monumental columns of Persepolis, the Persian capital under Darius the Great (521–486 BCE). Nearby, the mural features the rebuilt temple of Jerusalem, with Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the prophet Haggai depicted in motion. Imhotep’s stepped pyramid at Saqqara, south of Cairo, anchors the southern edge of the empire.

 

The north wall journeys to India, where Krishna bathes in the Ganges beside his cowherds, while the Buddha delivers his teachings in the Deer Park of Sarnath. The eastern wall portrays Confucius receiving homage from Lao Tse, framed by a moon bridge from Suzhou, China.

 

Finally, on the southern wall, ancient La Venta—the Olmec capital in present-day Mexico—rises, while to its right, the iconic peak of Huayna Picchu watches over Machu Picchu before Incan rule.

 

This mural stands as a global altar—linking ancient wisdom, spirituality, and architectural legacy across continents. It now welcomes a new purpose as a healing treatment room, a space where past and present coalesce in care and reverence.